Inductor relay



March 10, 1931.

H. w. MATTINGLY 'mnucwon RELAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 8. 1929 INVENTOR Ha ro/d I11 Maff/hgly.

ATTORNEY March 1931- 'H. WJMATTINGLY 9 87 INDUCTOR RELAY Origihal Filed May 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L/ 1 Q I 1 L2 INVENTOR HOr'O/dM/l/afing? ATT QRNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1931 E, if

STATES nnnonn MATTINGLY, or SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO wnsrinerrousn nrncrnro & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or rnNNsYL- VANIA IHDU'CTOR RELAY Application filed May 8,

My invention relates to relays and more particularly to inductor relays of the type employed in control systems for controlling the operation of elevators, railway cars and similar vehicles.

t (1 AU An object of my invention is to provide an inductor relay that shall be relatively simple in construction, efiicientin operation and adapted for economical manufacture and installation. Y

Another object of my invention is to pro-f two arms cooperating to control an electric circuit, while the other ends of the two arms are adapted to cooperate with an'inductor plate that is movable relative to the coil, core and contact levers to effect movement of the arms to control an electric circuit.

.In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of an inductor relay illustrated as being mounted on a part of a movable car structure.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a diagram of connections of a control system with which the device embodying my invention may be used.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1 have there illustrated an inductor relay 11 comprising a base 12 which may be of substantially L-shape in section and preferably made of electrically insulating or, at least, of non-magnetic material. While the base 12 is shown as a single piece of material, it may, of course, comprise two or more pieces. I

An energizing coil 13, which is designed for the particular voltage of the supply cir- 1929. Serial No. 361,337;

cuit to which it is to be connected, is mounted on a magnetizable core 14 of substantially circular cross section. Suitable clamping means, such as a plurality of straps16, en-

circle the coil in order to hold it and thecore' 14 in proper operative position on the base 12.v A pair of pivotally mounted'contact arms 17 and 18 are secured to the extending ends of the core 14 bypivot pins 19 or by any other suitable means which will be effective for the desired purpose.

At the ends of the respective lever arms 17 and 18, adjacent to the upstanding part of the base -l2, are located substantially sta-' tionary contact terminals 21 and 22, here shown as of L-shape. However, these terminals may be made of any shape so long as theyare designed and located to cooperate withwliat may be called the inner ends of' the arms 17 and18to engagetherewitlnor' to be disengaged therefrom to control an,

electric circuit.

A suitable spring 23 is provided to cooperate with the arms 17 and 18 tonormally yield ingly maintain their inner ends in engage ment withthe contact terminals 21 and 22.

While a specific location of the "spring has,

been shown, such location is immaterial so long as it is provided and located to coo'perate with the contact arms to normally maintain them in the positions shown, in whichtheir inner ends engage the stationary contact terminals.

I The inductor relay 11 on an elevator car, preferably on the usual I beam 2 1 constituting the crosshead ofthie] elevator sling. The mounting is such that the outer ends of the arms 17 and 18 project beyond a vertical edge of the car structure 1n order that these outerends may move veris shown as mounted tically upward or downward in cooperative I relation with the side portions of an inductor plate 26, which is of channel shape in lateral section and of a predetermined length and which is stationarily mounted on some part of the hatchway within which the elevator 1 operates.

The use of the inductor relay embodying my invention may best be described in connection with an elevator-control system of the type shown in the copending application of E. M. Bouton, Serial N 0. 731,921, filed August 14, 1924, and assigned to the lVestinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.

I have illustrated, in Fig. 3 of the drawings, a simplified control system in connection with which the operation of my improved inductor relay illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings may best be explained.

Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates, diagrammatically, an elevator hoisting motor EM directly coupled to a hoisting drum D over which passes a cable CA having a counterweight CW connected at one end thereof, and

, havlng an elevator cage or car C connected to its other end to travel upwardly or downwardly in a vertically extending hatchway,

being guided by suitable means well known in the art. The hoistingdrum D is directly coupled to the armature EM of the elevator hoisting motor EM which is connect-ed in loop circuit with the armature G of a generator G, the field winding EMF being connected, for constant-voltage energization,

, to a source of energy shown as line conductors L1 and L2. 7

The generator G is illustrated as being provided with a separately excited field winding GF, 21 series field winding GSF, and a demagnetizing field winding GAE. The generator armature G is driven by a driving motor, M illustrated as of the shunt-wound type having its armature M and its field winding MF connected in parallel relation to the line conductors L1 and L2.

The control system comprises, in addition, an up-direction switch 1, a down direction switch, 2, a speed relay 3, a car switch CS mounted in the car and a plurality of indu'CtOr relays 313233 also mounted on the car structure, in the manner hereinbefore described. in connection, with the inductor relay 11. V

The operation of the system may best be explained withreference to an assumed elevator operation, as followsi Let, it be assumed that the operator, desiring upward movement of the car. moves the handle of the car switch CS to the right, as

shown inFig. 3 of the drawings, so that its arcuate contact segment 34 engages the fixed contact members 35 and-36. This operation establishes a circuit for energizing the updirection switch 1 which extends from 0011- ductor L1 of the supply circuit, through conductors 38 and 39, contact members 35, 34, and 36 of car switch CS, conductor 41, the coilOf; up-direct'ion switch 1 and conductor 42, toline conductor L2. Up-direct-ionswitch 1,;when energized, completes a. self-holding circuit which extends from line conductor L1, through conductors 38 and 43, contact members 44 of stopping induct-or relay 32, conductors 46 and 47, contact members a of updirection switch 1, conductors 48 and 41,

the coil of Lip-direction switch and conductor 42, to line conductor L-2.

Up-direction switch 1, when energized, also completes a circuit for supplying current, in

one direction, to the separately excited field winding GE of generator G to cause current to be supplied, in one direction, to the elevator-motor armature EM to thereby start the car upwardly. The circuit for field winding GF extends from line conductor L1, through conductor 49, contact members b of Lip-direction switch 1, conductors 51 and 52, generator field winding GF, conductors 53 and 54, contact members c of up-direction switch 1, conductors 56 and 57, resistor R and conductor 58, to line conductor L2.

' The operation thus far described will cause the car to travel at a predetermined relatively slow speed and, if the high speed is desired, the operator moves the handle of the car switch CS farther to the right to effect engagement of the arcuate contact segment 34 thereof with contact members 35, 36 and 37. 'This energizes a circuit extending from line conductor L1, through conductors 38 and 39, contact members35, 34 and 37 of the car-switch, conductor 61, the coil of speed relay 3 andconductors 62 and 58, to line conductor L2. V

Speed relay 3, when energized, shunts resistor R from the generatorfield-circuit winding by way of conductor 62 and 63 and contact members 5 of speed relay 3. Speed relay 3 also establishes a self-holding circuit which extends from line conductor L-1, through conductors 38 and 64, the contact members of down direction slow-down relay 33, conductor 66, the contact members of rip-direction slow-down relay 31, conductor 67, contact members a of speed relay 3,

' the coil of speed relay 3 and conductors 62 hereinbcfore described movement of the car switch CS.

Let it be assumechhowcver, that it is desired to stop at a predetermined floor. Accordingly the operator will move the car switch to the center position shown in Fig. 3, whereby an energizing circuit is established which may be traced as follows:

From line conductor L1, through con ductors 38 and 68, the energizing coil of stop relay 32, conductor 69, the coil of slow-down relay 31, conductor 71, contact members e of up-direction switch 1 and conductors 72, 73

lLIJ

7 traversing the core 14 and the arms 17 and and 42, to line conductor L2. This prepares the inductor relays for operation when the arms 17 and 18 thereof move between the flanges of theinductor plate. It is, of course, to be noted that the inductor relays and the inductor plates are shown schematically only in Fig. 3 of the drawing, in order to simplify the drawing and the explanation of the circuits and their operation.

A slow-down inductor plate 74: is so located in the hatchway as to cooperate with the slow-clown relay 31 and, as soon as the plate and the relay are in cooperative relation, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the relay 31 will be operated to interrupt the circuit controlled by the contact members on the movable arms, as was hereinbefore set forth. It is, of course, to be understood that, when the arms 17 and 18 are located within an inductor plate of channel shape, the flux 18 will be increased, and the arms will thereby be moved to interrupt the circuit controlled thereby.

This action interrupts the hereinbefore described self-holding circuit for the energizing contact membersa and b so that they will move downwardly and the heretofore established short circuit across resistor R will be interrupted. The resistor R will again be effective in the circuit of thefield winding GF, and the elevator will be slowed down.

When the car has moved upwardly a small additional distance and until the inductor relay '32 is in cooperative location with rela tion to a stop inductor plate 75, the relay 32 will be energized to open the contact members controlled thereby sothat the holding circuit of up-direction switch 1, as hereinbefore described, is interrupted, and the updirection switch will, therefore, be deenergized to open all of the circuits controlled thereby.

It is understood, of course, that a slowdown inductor plate '74 and a stop plate are provided for each floor at which the elevator may be desired to stop and that their location, relative to the floor level, is such that the elevator car will stop with its floor substantially level with that floor of the building.

The stopping action is aided by the auxiliary generator field GAE in the following manner: l/Vhen the up-direction switch 1 is deenergized, a short circuit is established through the armature G. and fields GSF and GAF as follows: from one terminal of the armature G, through fields GSF and GAF, conductor 77, contact memberslzl of up-direction switch 1, conductor 78, contact members (Z of down-direction switch 2 and conductors 79 and Y81, to the other terminal of armature Gr.

The control for the down-direction travel of the elevator car is substantially the same ward travel.

as was hereinbefore describedfor the up-direction travel, except that the operator moves the handle of the car switch CS toIthe left,

so that the corresponding contact members on the right-hand portion of the car switch will be engaged, and the circuit correspond ing to those horeinbefore described for updirection switch 1 will'be energized through downedirection' switch 2. The resistor and the speed relay. 3 are used in the down-direction, as well as in the Lip-direction, oftr'avel, and a single stop relay, herenumbered 32, is effective for stopping the car in its down- The slow-down" direction re lay 33 cooperates with a slow-clown inductor plate 82 in substantially the same manner as was hereinbefore set forth in connection with the Lip-direction sloW-downrelay .31 and inductor plate 741.

The inductor relay embodying my invention is independent in its operation .as toslight. relative horizontal movements of the 18 in either oneor both oftwo directions.

For, if the inductor relay should momentarilymovelaterally of the arm 17 and Y18, the arms would still operate properly because there would be no change in the total length of air gap in the magnetic circuit between the outer ends of the arms and the flanges of the plate. 26. Longitudinal relative movement between the arm 17 and theflangesof plate 26 would also have no appreciable effect as it would merely increase the overlapping of these two members, whereby the total magnetic reluctance of the magnetic circuit would be reduced by a small amount.

Various modifications may be madein the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and I desire, therefore, that only suchlimitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: r

. 1. An inductor relay comprising a core, a coil thereon, a pair of movable armatures operatively associated With'the core and a magnetizable plate disposedto be brought adjacent to and overlap saidmovable armatures to cooperate magnetically therewith to effect movement of said armatures.

2. An inductor relay comprising a core, a coil thereon, a pair of armatures pivotally mounted on said core and a magnetizable plate disposed to be brought adjacent to and overlap portions of said armatures to cooperate magnetically therewith to effect movement of said armatures.

3. An inductor relay comprising a core, a coil thereon, a pair of armatures pivotally mounted on said core intermediate their ends, and a magnetizable plate disposed to he brought adjacent to, and outside of, similarly located end portions of said armatures to cooperate magnetically therewith to effect substantially simultaneous movement of said armatures.

4. An inductor relay comprising a core, a magnetizing coil therefor, a pair of armatures pivotally mounted intermediate their ends at the respective ends of said core and a magnetizable plate of substantially channel shape in lateral section and disposed to be brought adjacent to adjacent ends of the armatures to enclose the same laterally to cooperate'magnetically therewith to efileot movement of said armatures. 5. An inductor relay comprising a magnet- 5 izable member of substantially channel shape in lateral section and a relatively movable core structure embodying an elongated core, a magnetizing coil therefor, a pair of armatures pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on the respective ends of said core and so disposed relatively to the magnetizable member as to pass between the side portions thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sub- .25? scribed my name this first day of May, 1929.

HAROLD MATTINGLY. 

